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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28460361">the shop on the corner of easy and hard</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/geeeko/pseuds/geeeko'>geeeko</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops &amp; Cafés, Fluff, Loneliness, M/M, POV Akaashi Keiji, References to Depression, Symbolism, akaashi is a lil more smiley in this but thats because hes a happy boy, somewhat of a character study</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:47:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,442</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28460361</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/geeeko/pseuds/geeeko</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Akaashi Keiji runs his own coffee shop on the corner. It's serene and calming, and he loves everything about it, including all of the people he gets to meet everyday.<br/>Especially a select few of them.<br/>But there's something wrong.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>My favorite haikyuu fics</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>the shop on the corner of easy and hard</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hello!!<br/>i hope everyone is doing well and is having happy holidays!! this is kind of a school-project-turned-fic but honestly it has become my baby and i loved writing it so much!!<br/>hope you all enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Suguru</b>
</p><p>
  <span>There is no sun filtering through the windows, but Keiji likes to pretend there always is. He feels happy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he sets up shop for the morning—a very exciting morning, at that, as it is the first time he opens his doors to the people of his gray world—he hears the jingle of his three little sleigh bells that his uses as an alert system to warn him of any potential patrons entering his establishment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A young man walks in, looking to be in his mid-twenties, seeming like his day had gone down into the dumps. His shoulders slump, his hat droops, and his whole being just screams </span>
  <em>
    <span>unhappy</span>
  </em>
  <span>. His scuffed and creased shoes shuffle this way and that as he takes in his surroundings, a frown donning his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looks around a moment longer, not seeming to notice Keiji as he stands patiently waiting for him to decide whether or not he would like to take a look at the menu, maybe sit down for a while at his singular table for two, that most often was used for one, or maybe one of the freshly fluffed beanbags. At one point, he seems to look straight through him, his eyes passing over the counter and the register and the chalkboard with only a few words on it: “Ask your barista for today’s special!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He seems as though he’s not really all there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello, welcome in!” Keiji calls out finally, and the man’s attention snaps to him. His face shows his realization that he is, in fact, in the real world, and he steps forward and up to the counter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello,” he says simply, with a small but rueful smile crossing his face for a split second before it disappears again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji smiles. “Is everything alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man hesitates for a moment, looking taken aback, then his shoulders sag even further and he smiles sadly. “I would say yes, but the real answer is no, not really.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry to hear that. May I ask what burdens you?” Keiji leans against the counter, and the man moves to sit down on one of the oak stools at the breakfast bar, sighing heavily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s been a long week,” he starts. “You know how one moment you have something, then suddenly you just… don’t?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji nods his head in agreement, and the man continues on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like, say that thing was a big part of your life, but you never really realized it, so you never really treated it like it was important. But as soon as it’s gone, the feeling finally hits you and it’s like a whole part of your world is gone along with it. And suddenly, all of your feelings come flooding back and you realize that you really, </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> messed up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man laces his fingers together on the counter in front of him and looks down at his hands for a few seconds. Keiji watches his eyes move to his hands, and stares along with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji looks up. “Yes, I feel that quite often,” he says, “But it seems like not on as large of a scale as you have recently.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I guess so.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I ask for more details?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiles dryly. “Sure, why not. You’re the only one willing to listen anyway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji pulls up a stool of his own and sits, mimicking the man’s posture, position, and laces his own fingers together, letting the cool granite soak into his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I lost my girlfriend of five years today,” he starts. “To be honest, I should have seen it coming. It’s like I said, I wasn't taking advantage of everything she did for me. We loved each other, sure, but around the 2 year point, we—no, I—started to drift away. I got too involved with my guys, and while she tried her hardest to save us, I wouldn’t listen. The past year was the worst. We were so distant that it was almost like we were strangers, not even acquaintances.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, I never realized it, I was too caught up in myself, but then the day came, and eventually, and the rest is history.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry for your loss.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man startles, then waves his hands around. “Oh, no, it’s not like that! She just broke up with me…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I see. My apologies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji pauses to think. He sits for a moment, then something pops into his mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, what’s done is done,” he says. He stands up from the stool and walks into his work area and takes stock of all of his materials. “Although it may be sad, I believe there is good in what you have said to me, at least from what I have heard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He flicks on his espresso machine and it whirrs to life. “Please do not feel like a bad person. Obviously, you were in the wrong, but that does not mean that you should feel that you deserve some kind of punishment.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He starts heating up the coffee. “I can say for a fact that you are already starting to redeem yourself. Coming in and talking about it instead of complaining about it is one thing, but the other is you realizing what you did, as well as feeling like you need to fix it. That is something a good person should do. Others would get upset or angry that their spouse has left them, but you have not. Well, apart from being sad, of course,” he reasons.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He steams the milk and breezes around his workspace, grabbing this and that off of the shelves. The man still sits at the counter, giving him a surprised stare. His hands have unclasped, and his mouth is open slightly, eyebrows raised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think you should be proud of the development you have made,” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He takes the contents of everything he’s made and combines them all into a tiny white coffee cup.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turns around with a smile and says, “But that’s just my two cents.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He makes a quick little design on the surface of the drink and faces the man.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I get a name for the order?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man, still stunned, says, “Suguru. It’s Suguru.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji places the cup on the counter then says brightly, “One small latte with one pump of chocolate and extra cream for Suguru!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man—Suguru—picks up the drink and takes a sip. Keiji spies a small smile spread across his face, and can’t help but let his own grow wider. He reaches for his wallet, but he stops him with a soft, “It’s okay, it’s on the house.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grins and stands. “Thank you. It’s exactly what I needed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anytime. I wish you well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And the man turns on his heel and walks out of the shop, and the little bells jingle their goodbye.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Shouyou</b>
</p><p>
  <span>The second morning Keiji opens his shop, his first customer had actually been waiting outside for him. The person, who is kind of small and is wearing a mask over their face, steps inside. Although they were wearing a mask, Keiji could tell that they were giving him a thankful smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But the smile didn’t reach their eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji tracks back to his place behind the counter and starts setting up to make them a drink. “I’ll be with you in a second,” he says. He feels good.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The person settles themselves into one of the beanbags by the counter. They pull out their phone and pull their beanie lower over their head and start scrolling through some kind of reading site, occasionally stopping to rub at their eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji looks over, concerned, when he finally hears what sounds like a sob, but comes out as more of a squeak, emit from the person.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you alright?” he asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The person freezes suddenly, then nods slowly. “Yes, I’m okay, thank you for asking,” they say, but their voice wobbles just a little bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji stares for a moment, then nods to himself. “Is there anything I can get for you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The person sniffs, then says, “A green tea, please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji gets to work. He pulls out his electronic kettle and fills it with water. Then, he takes stock of his teas and pulls out a green tea that he had received as a gift one day. It had appeared in front of his apartment door, signed with no name, wrapped with a bow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gives it a whiff and gets hints of jasmine, mint, and chamomile, as well as a couple other scents, then puts it into his little steeper. He takes out a cup, then pours the hot water from the bubbling kettle in, steam billowing up into his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He puts the steeping tool in with the leaves of the tea inside, then sets the mug onto the counter to sit. Keiji then turns to the person.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This has to steep for a little while before it’s ready. Until then, do you want to talk?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They pause for a moment, then turn towards him. The biggest sigh flows out of them, and they turn their phone off and set it down on the coffee table next to their set. They don’t say anything, but from the look they give, Keiji can tell they want to.</span>
</p><p> <span>Now, it’s none of his business, unless the person is willing to talk. If they are, he is all ears.</span></p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to come in and cry in your nice little place, it just seemed like it would be quiet. I didn’t know if you were open or not so I waited outside. Sorry,” they said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji smiles. “It’s alright. The place is supposed to be quiet, I was hoping people would find solace in their time here. If it wasn’t quiet, there would probably be something wrong.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They chuckle. “Yeah…” Keiji can see their face fall from under their face mask. “I just… I lost my friend. I miss her a whole lot. She was a great person, was kind to everyone and everything, like, she would literally apologize to a plant if she bumped it. But, she was trans, and unfortunately, her family didn’t support her. They completely turned on her, became abusive and negligent, and while she kept fighting and said that she was okay, I could tell that she was starting to break.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The rest of us tried to help, we really did. We tried literally kidnapping her to help her get to a safer place, we tried to call CPS, but none of that worked out.” The person takes in a shuddering breath. “I feel like we could have done more…” They draw their knees up to their chest. “She said she was fine,” they say, “and I know we all didn’t believe her, but we didn’t want to make things worse by trying too hard to butt in on her life, since she was always so independent!” they exclaim. “But we could have done more—no, </span>
  <em>
    <span>should</span>
  </em>
  <span> have done more… but in the end, it just wasn’t enough,” they murmur.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji leans against the counter, a frown creasing his face. It hurt, even though he wasn’t the one feeling the pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s been a year now,” they sigh. “Green tea was her favorite, so I’m getting it to honor her.” They adjust their mask and the sunlight glints off of their eyes. “I miss her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji is silent for a moment. He doesn’t know what to say. The air conditioning breezes through his hair and fluffs it up a little, and his apron does a little sway as he turns around. He walks back over to the tea cup, silently, and looks to see if it’s steeped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji’s grandmother used to tell him that tea was special, in ways that no one could understand, even if they tried to explain. She used to tell him stories all the time about magical things while she made tea and cookies for the both of them, and gave backstories behind each cup she brewed. To Keiji , it was all some kind of made up fairytale, something he would never think of again, but now, as he looks at the cup, he can kind of feel that there is something special about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He finally finds his words as he stirs the leaves and turns around. “I’m sorry for your loss,” he starts with. “But I have a feeling that she’s not completely gone. I understand that she may be gone in this plane of existence, but that doesn’t mean that she isn’t somewhere else. In my eyes, I can see this wonderful friend she has who remembers her, and is keeping her memory alive, which is keeping her alive, too. She’s still here. She’s everywhere. She’s still with you. And I can tell that she loves you very much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji pours the tea into the coffee cup he used just the day before, when he helped out the other customer, Suguru. He slides it across the counter. “Can I get a name for the order?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The corners of the person’s eyes are scrunched up as they approach him, and they take their cup from him. “It’s Shouyou. Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One green tea for Shouyou. You don’t have to pay, it’s on the house.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shouyou smiles, Keiji can tell. They thank him again, then wave as they leave the shop.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Koushi</b>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s a few days before another customer shows up in the morning as early as the other two. Keiji was lonely those few days, he’ll admit. But as soon as he hears the telltale jingle of the little bells just as he had heard with Suguru and Shouyou, he feels a little bit of joy run through him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s doing okay today. The sky is a little cloudy this morning, but the sun still peeks through, along with a little bit of blue. The tinted windows don’t do the rays justice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In walks a guy, about college age, his sweatpants wrinkled and his hoodie just a little too big for his body. His face is scrunched up in concentration as he seems to focus on trying to keep his books in his arms. He nearly fails, as one of them slips out and is nearly dropped, but he catches it just in time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guy shuffles sideways through the door, and glances over his shoulder. The door closes on one of the straps of his pack, nearly pulling it off of his shoulder. He is yanked backwards, and nearly drops his books a second time. He finally pulls himself free and stumbles inside the rest of the way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji watches all of this, chin in his hand, amusement probably clearly written all over his face. “Do you need any help with that?” he asks, and the guy glances over his shoulder once more, before setting his things down at a nearby table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, thanks, I got it,” the guy huffs. He plops into one of the chairs and pulls his computer out of his bag.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. Let me know if you need anything,” Keiji says. He starts idly tapping through his computer at his register, taking stock of all of his sales over the past week. After a few moments, he moves onto cleaning his machines. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he wipes down the nozzle for the espresso machine, he hears a little huff from across the shop. He glances over the top of the machine, and looks over to where the sound came from, which was from the guy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He angrily flips a page in his textbook, then glares at it. His eyes flit back and forth, so he must be reading. He’s probably studying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji goes back to work and finishes cleaning that machine and a few others. He then moves onto the pantry and takes stock of what he has and what is running low, as well as what he may need to order refills for soon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He writes down a couple of things on a little notepad, the sounds of his pencil scratching against the paper filling the space. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Chocolate powder</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Caramel syrup</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Chai concentrate</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Black tea…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s about a third of the way through when he hears a groan and a thud. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He peers around the corner of the cash register, then walks out to the counter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is everything alright?” he asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guy is sitting at the table with his head on the desk, at least three books open around him and about four more notebooks, and his computer halfway closed. Keiji can see a little red light flashing on the laptop, indicating that the battery has been drained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guy looks up. “No, not really.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji frowns. “Is there anything I can do to help?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighs. “Well, unless you have a spare charger sitting around, probably not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji reaches behind the counter and into a drawer underneath. He pulls out a charger and holds it up for the guy to see. “Would this work?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looks taken aback for a moment, probably not expecting Keiji to magically pull one out of the blue, but then he brightens up, eyebrows rising. “Yes, actually, it will, thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gives it to him and they both return to work, but not a few minutes later he hears more sounds of frustration. This time, he decides that he’ll make something for him instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a couple of minutes, Keiji pushes open the waist-high door and strides over to where the guy is sitting. He sets a coffee cup on the table, full of sweet brown liquid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My mother used to give me hot chocolate when I was particularly stressed out with my schoolwork, and it always helped me focus for some odd reason. I hope that this can do the same for you,” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guy gapes at him for a few moments, then takes the cup and takes a long sip from it. He smiles almost imperceptibly, then sets the cup back down. “Exam season is rough, I gotta tell you,” he starts. “It’s like each day you have a new thing you need to study that you didn’t know that was gonna be on the test, and usually that means another hour of sleep gone. I’ve been trying my best, but it really has been difficult.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, from what I can see, you’ve been working pretty hard. I think you’ll do well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guy huffs out a sigh and leans back in his chair. “Yeah, but studying is one thing, actually being able to retain information is another issue completely.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I get it,” Keiji says, “I never could study when I was in school. But I hope you do well on whatever test you’re taking. Maybe the hot chocolate will give you good luck.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guy smiles, then says, “What’s your name?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh!” Keiji says, a bit surprised by the question, “My name is Keiji .”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Keiji,” the guy mutters to himself, “that’s a cool name. Well, Keiji, I think it just might. Well, at least I sure hope it does. Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re very welcome,” Keiji replies. He then heads back to the counter, but stops. “Can I ask your name as well?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it’s Koushi, with an ‘i’,” she says. “Kinda like the salt. Ya know, Kosher.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice to meet you, Koushi.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Likewise, Keiji .”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Koushi studies for a little longer before he packs up all of his things and exits the shop with a bright jingle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Aoi</b>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji picks his head up from the counter when he hears the bells jingle again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The clouds are a little more grey today, but the glare is still present.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The person walks in, light from the newly ordered lanterns he put out glinting off of his round glasses, and heads straight up to the counter. He looks around, his eyes kind of wide, but his face blank otherwise, his curly hair bouncing with every step. Stops in front of Keiji , who is still leaning over the granite, and runs a hand through his hair as he looks through the menu. It only takes a moment before Keiji can see his face light up when he seems to settle on something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s the first solid decision I’ve made all day,” he whispers to himself, and looks back at Keiji . “Hello, sorry, I’ve just been out of touch lately.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shrugs and smiles at him. “No worries. What can I get for you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right now, he was acting like any other customer would, but he could tell that he was going to be different, just like all of the others he’d encountered in those days before. Just unlike them, he seemed to know what he wanted right away and he was the one who approached him first, instead of the opposite.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to get a caramel frappe with an extra shot of espresso, please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji types it into his register and adds up the total and tells him. “Can I get a name for the order?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aoi.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, Aoi, that’ll be ready in a few minutes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gets to work. He pulls out the ingredients, the caramel syrup, cream, sugar, and a couple of other things, and adds them to a blender. As he is making the espresso, though, he notices Aoi hasn’t sat anywhere yet, and his head is swiveling back and forth between the beanbags and the tables.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He watches for a few moments, waiting to see what he does, and after a few more seconds of hesitation, he finally decides to sit in one of the beanbags. He turns back to his work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looks up a minute later to find Aoi now at one of the tables. He lifts an eyebrow, and goes back to the drink. He pours the now ready espresso into the blender and a cup or two of ice, and blends. He pours that into a cup and tops it with whipped cream, then brings the drink over to the counter. When he calls Aoi name, he realizes he’s back on the beanbags.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He takes the drink with a tiny “thanks”, then goes back to his beanbag he was occupying and starts scrolling through his phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji, unprofessionally, does the same after cleaning up a little.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It takes a couple minutes, but he soon notices a feeling of someone looking at him. He looks up and sees that Aoi is at the counter, looking sheepish.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What can I do for you?” he asks, approaching him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m really sorry, but can I also get a black coffee?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji smiles and says, “Sure.” He tells him his total, and gets to making his drink. This time he doesn’t sit down. He instead moves to the breakfast bar and watches him go through the process of making his drink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji glances up from his work for a minute. “You seem to be having trouble making up your mind. I saw you trying to figure out where you wanted to sit earlier,” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aoi chuckles and rests his elbows on the granite. “Yeah. It seems I can’t seem to decide on things right now. And normally for small things like coffee or where to sit, that’s normal, but it also seems like I’m having the same problem with bigger things in my life,” he says. “I look at one option, and my brain goes, ‘Well, I think that’s a good idea!’ and my heart disagrees, but as soon as I look at the other, my heart is literally jumping for joy.” He laughs. “Well, not literally.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, but I can’t make up my mind or have a solid decision. My dream job is to become an artist, but I know that it may not be the most stable. I’ve been thinking about just joining some kind of company and working in an office. It sounds terrible and unfulfilling, but at least I’ll have a better chance of making a living, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji nods. “That is true. But what I think you need to do is ask yourself, ‘Would I rather be happier or would I rather be safer?’ </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In my opinion, I think you should follow your heart and trust your gut. I never knew if this shop was going to keep me afloat, but so far, I think I’m doing alright.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji pours the coffee into that same white cup and sets it down in front of Aoi. “But, that’s just what I think. You do what you feel you need to do,” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aoi seems to think for a moment, then takes a small sip of his coffee. He brightens, then laughs. Keiji can’t help but smile when he does.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I will, thank you…” he peers at his nametag. “...Keiji. Huh, cool name.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re welcome,” he says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nods and turns to leave. Before he steps out of the door, he turns and says, “Thanks again, you helped me out a lot!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then he was gone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Koutarou</b>
</p><p>
  <span>This morning is grey. Keiji ’s eyes droop for about the fifth time as a customer walks in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The customer is hunched over his phone, a baseball cap pulled over his grey and black hair, his grey sweatshirt puffing out around his arms and his jeans cuffed to reveal mismatched socks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bells don’t jingle. Keiji forgot to hang them today. He really only knew there was a person by the sound of the wind from outside rushing in through the open door and the sound of it being slammed shut as a result.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s actually the first customer he’s had in two days. It must be the weather, or maybe he just hasn’t had a lucky streak for a little while and is due for one soon. Maybe the universe is giving him a sign.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guy walks closer—well, more like shuffles closer—and Keiji can see the bags under his eyes from where he’s sitting. His lips sag into a frown, and his shoulders are so slouched that it’s almost like his arms are too heavy for his body. He trips over her own feet and stumbles, but catches himself just in time. But as soon as he’s halfway across the room, he collapses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji nearly vaults over the counter to get to him. When he does, the guy is just sitting there, dazed. “Oh my god, are you okay?” Keiji exclaims.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guy blinks up at him, and Keiji has to flinch at his eyes. They seem like they’re filled to the brim with pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While all of his other special customers had some kind of pain in their eyes, he seemed to have all of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, here we go,” Keiji grunts and hauls the guy to his feet. He practically carries him to a beanbag. Once he seems like he’s settled, Keiji kneels in front of him. “Hey, is everything okay? You just collapsed. Can you hear me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guy blinks once, twice, then a little bit of realization dawns in his eyes. “Oh,” he says, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. Are you alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are you asking me?” Keiji asks, incredulous.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I dunno.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They sit and look at each other for a few seconds before Keiji asks again, “Are you okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guy shrugs then says, “Yeah, I guess so. Well, I didn’t really mean to come in here, my feet just took me in, so I can just get going—” he tries to stand up but his legs wobble a little bit and he falls back into the beanbag. “Woah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah, indeed,” Keiji agrees. “You probably shouldn’t go anywhere any time soon. Why don’t you just sit here for a little while and tell me what happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guy nods then laughs dryly as Keiji moves back behind his area. He sees the guy shiver and decides what to make him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s nothing much, really…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji guffaws. “It must have been </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span> if it made you collapse on the floor!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guy chuckles dryly again and says, “Well in that case, it’s a lot.” He sighs. “To put it into a story short enough to not take all of your hours, my mom just died, I don’t know what to do with my life, I’m stressed beyond my mind because of my shop, and on top of it all, the one person in my life that I had left to love me left me for another person, so now I have no one. There’s more but I don’t really wanna talk about that right now.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He takes a deep breath and continues on. “American healthcare is too expensive. Can a guy just pay for his mother’s hospital bills and treatments without going into debt deeper than the Mariana Trench? She was everything to me. She took care of me when no one else could. She wasn’t even my real mom. I just call her that because that’s what she is to me. Besides, it’s not like my real one is around anymore to care.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I started my own business, but right now I’m not making too many sales, so I don’t even know if I’m gonna be able to keep it open. I love my job, but how can I even have a job if I can’t make any money? And! If I’m forced to close my store, what the heck am I going to do with myself then? I don’t have anything planned!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His voice raises slightly with the last sentence, and Keiji has stopped what he was doing for a moment because he can hear the guy starting to get emotional.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guy keeps going, “I love my shop, but sometimes, I just wanna pull my hair out because of it. And since I was so focused on making a living and keeping myself afloat, my partner decided that I wasn’t worth their time anymore, and took off. I thought they loved me, but I guess you can be really wrong about some people, huh?” His voice shakes with emotion now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji gets back to work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I worked too hard for that, okay? I tried my best and I followed my heart and followed my dreams and still here I am today </span>
  <em>
    <span>ranting </span>
  </em>
  <span>to a </span>
  <em>
    <span>stranger</span>
  </em>
  <span> about my personal life because I have no one else to talk to, probably ruining his morning and most likely his whole day just because I am having a few issues in my life. But honestly, although it may be bad to say, I don’t care anymore!” He throws his hands up in the air and slaps them back down onto the beanbag.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I sound like I do, but I don’t. I don’t, I don’t, I don’t, I don’t—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji sets the white mug down in front of him, cutting him off. He takes his hands, which were now wrapped tightly around his head, and puts them around the mug instead. It seems to bring him back to reality. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looks at the mug for a second, wondering what Keiji wants him to do with it. Keiji nods toward it and says, “Drink it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He picks it up, then hesitates. “It’s green. What is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Matcha latte. It’s sweet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He frowns, but obeys, and takes a sip. Then another. And another. He starts drinking faster, and Keiji grabs his own and pulls up another beanbag near his. He settles in and they sit in silence for a little while, drinking from the little white mugs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji finishes his first, and leans back into his beanbag. “You may not know me, but I am always willing to talk if you need it. That’s why I asked you what was wrong. I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to know or if I didn’t care,” he murmurs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guy freezes, then slowly looks up. Then, Keiji can see tears form in his eyes and all at once they start to fall. He cries and sips on his drink, wiping the tears away every so often, and Keiji just sits and lets him get it all out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he calms down and his full blown sobs have turned into sniffles and his mug is empty, Keiji finally stands. He takes both of their mugs and starts washing them. When he looks up he sees the guy standing up and brushing himself off. He straightens his sweatshirt, then his cap, then walks out of the door without a word or a thank you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, he did say thank you, just not out loud.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Keiji </b>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s raining.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji cannot pick his head up off of the counter today. He feels heavy. His eyelids feel heavy. The air itself feels heavy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s a heavy day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He feels like the weight of the world is resting on his shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wonders what the point of even opening the shop up today is. His business has been slowed to a stream about as viscous as molasses, and now with the dreary day, it’s bound to be slower.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He thinks back on all of his customers. He remembers most of their faces, but only a select few will stick out to him forever. The others just seem to blend together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suguru, Shouyou, Koushi, Aoi, and that one guy from last month, who he never got the name of. They all were here so long ago, but it feels like just yesterday. Maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be when you are finally able to talk to people, maybe even call them friends.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But how can you call them friends when you never really see them ever again?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He is sure they are grateful for his help, if he even helped them at all, because he would be grateful himself if he were in their position. The only thing he would do differently, though, would be that he would return.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He kind of misses them, those not-really-strangers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And now he realizes he is lonely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t have someone to talk to like they did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rests his head on the counter for a minute longer, then considers closing up the shop for the day, or maybe even the whole week. What’s the point, anyway? It’s not like anyone will come. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as he’s about to get up, though. He hears the door squeak and the sound of soft footsteps fill the silent space.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s a tap on his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Should he look up?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He does, and all he sees is bright yellow. Soft petals tickle his nose, and he nearly sneezes. The deep green leaves almost poke him in the eye as he sits up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good, you’re not dead,” the voice behind the mass of flowers says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, the flowers shift, the paper wrapping them together crinkling, and they reveal a face Keiji had never thought he would see again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s the guy from last month.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji sits up, surprised. The guy frowns. Then, Keiji realizes how he must look, and he quickly slaps on his customer service face. The guy’s frown deepens.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What can I get for you?” Keiji asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cut the act,” the guy says. “I know that’s fake.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji hesitates then drops the mask. As he takes a closer look at the guy, though, he notices something is different.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyebags are gone, his cheeks are fuller, and his eyes just look like they actually have some life in them, instead of the hurting, broken down light that he had seen all those weeks ago.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guy holds out the flowers in front of him again and shakes his head. “I don’t need anything. I came here to give these to you,” he says. “They’re trollius flowers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji takes them and feels a little bit of the weight lift off of his shoulders. The guy has buried his nose into his own shoulder, like he’s trying to hide his face and mutters, muffled by the same fabric of that same grey sweatshirt from that day, “They mean gratitude.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji just stares for a moment. Then gives a small smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guy doesn’t seem satisfied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, I am going to get something,” he says, and crosses his arms over his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright then, what can I get you?” Keiji asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He thinks, then his eyes light up. “I’ll have two matcha lattes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji rings him up, but not without remembering that time. He remembers that they had matcha lattes then.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tells him the total, then looks back up from the screen of the cash register. “Can I get a name for the order?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Koutarou,” the guy replies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Koutarou. That’s a nice name.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could say the same to you, Keiji.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji chuckles and gets to work. Koutarou goes to sit down at one of the tables, but stops before he actually does. He pulls a chair from another table and sets it by the one he settles at so there are two chairs there now. He then takes out his phone and starts scrolling through social media, as he can hear from the faint sound of popular songs coming from his area.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soon, the drinks are made, and Keiji is calling out the order.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Koutarou comes up and takes one. But only one. He walks back to the table but stops halfway. He turns and looks over his shoulder, cocking an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji raises an eyebrow back, mimicking him. “Aren’t you going to take your drink?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Koutarou laughs outright, throwing his head back. “It’s for you, silly!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji slowly, hesitantly grabs it, and then takes it over to the table. He asks, “Why?” after he sits down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Koutarou just shrugs and smiles. “You looked lonely.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Keiji pauses, then grins and takes a long sip of his drink, not without nearly burning his tongue. Koutarou laughs at that and Keiji finds himself laughing too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They talk for a while, telling each other things about themselves, joking, laughing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Koutarou stays until Keiji closes up shop, and Keiji leaves with a slip of paper in hand with little doodles and a sloppily written phone number. Koutarou is a frequent customer after that, and Keiji sees him almost every day, in his coffee shop and outside of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Keiji feels like he isn't lonely anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He feels the weight lift off of his shoulders as he realizes that, while he was giving, he was never taking anything back for himself. So as soon as he got a little bit of company from someone, he knew that was what he was missing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knows he’s not lonely anymore, and may never be.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thank you for reading!<br/>i am posting this on new years eve in my country, so i would like to wish everyone a happy new year!!<br/>hopefully 2021 will be much better for all of us :)<br/>until next time!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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